What evidence might Sonesta Simply Suites require to demonstrate that a Hotel's personnel are adequately trained?
Sonesta_Simply_Suites Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
We may require you to deliver us satisfactory evidence reflecting that your Hotel's personnel is adequately trained throughout the term of the Franchise Agreement.
You will be required to participate in our Revenue Management For Hire (RMFH) program for one year following the Opening Date of your Hotel. After the first year, if you elect to not participate in the brand's RMFH program, you will be required to hire a dedicated revenue management professional locally for your property. This person must carry the title of Director or Manager of Revenue Management, Revenue Optimization, or Revenue Strategy, and whose role exclusively focuses on those functions. This person must have demonstrated proficiency in
revenue management with at least four years' experience in a verifiable, revenue management specific, manager or director role, in similar hotels, and who otherwise meets our requirements (such as formal training and certification in the revenue management system) (the "Hotel Revenue Manager"). We may require that your Hotel Revenue Manager be trained on our RMS at your cost. The training classes are provided by a third-party service provider, and may be provided onsite at your Hotel or conducted virtually, at your discretion. Based on which designated RMS is selected, currently the cost is between $500 and $8,950 per user (depending on the system selected and whether training is done on-site or virtually). If during the term of the Franchise Agreement you hire a new Hotel Revenue Manager, such person will also need to complete training for the RMS (currently, the cost is $500 to $4,700 to train new Hotel Revenue Managers for Hotels already using the RMS).
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 48–60)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Sonesta Simply Suites' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Sonesta Simply Suites may require franchisees to provide satisfactory evidence that their hotel personnel are adequately trained throughout the term of the Franchise Agreement.
For the Revenue Management For Hire (RMFH) program, if a franchisee elects not to participate after the first year and instead hires a dedicated revenue management professional, that person must have the title of Director or Manager of Revenue Management, Revenue Optimization, or Revenue Strategy, and their role must exclusively focus on those functions. This Hotel Revenue Manager must have demonstrated proficiency in revenue management with at least four years' experience in a verifiable, revenue management specific, manager or director role, in similar hotels, and must meet Sonesta Simply Suites' other requirements, such as formal training and certification in the revenue management system.
If a new Hotel Revenue Manager is hired during the term of the Franchise Agreement, that person will also need to complete training for the RMS, with the cost currently ranging from $500 to $4,700 to train new Hotel Revenue Managers for Hotels already using the RMS. The training classes are provided by a third-party service provider and may be provided onsite at the franchisee's Hotel or conducted virtually, at the franchisee's discretion.